A man convicted of murdering the husband of former President Corazon Aquino reportedly says he was ordered to shoot him if a hit man failed.
It was the first time anyone convicted of the murder has spoken of a conspiracy involving senior armed forces figures.The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported Wednesday that former Sgt. Pablo Martinez made the admission during interviews in prison where he and 14 others are serving life sentences for the Aug. 21, 1983, killing of Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr.
Aquino's family blames the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos for the assassination, which unleashed a wave of opposition that culminated in the 1986 uprising that ousted Marcos and installed Aquino's widow as president.
In Wednesday's first installment of a series, the newspaper quoted Martinez as saying he was assigned to guard Rolando Galman, whom Marcos said was the assassin, during a two-day stay at a hotel near Manila's airport.
"I was told (by a lieutenant colonel) that the ex-senator will be assassinated upon arrival from exile in the United States," Martinez was quoted as saying. "Galman will be the triggerman and my task was to accompany him from the hotel to the (airport)."
The senator was shot dead at Manila airport moments after returning from the United States to challenge Marcos.
Shortly before heading to the airport, Martinez says he was told by Brig. Gen. Romeo Gatan that if Galman failed to carry out the assignment, Martinez was to kill him as well as Aquino.
"If he will not do it, shoot him," Martinez quoted Gatan as saying.